Self healing andon system and method

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are various embodiments of a self healing andon system. One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a system comprising at least one server. The system further includes logic executed on the at least one server that retrieves a defect history associated with a vendor and at least one product from an inbound shipment from a memory. The at least one product is stocked in a materials handling facility, and the defect history is associated with a specified time period. The at least one server extracts at least one inventory defect from the defect history in a computer system and calculates an inventory defect rate. The at least one server imposes remedial measures if the inventory defect rate exceeds a specified threshold of the inventory defect rate.

BACKGROUND

Fulfillment centers, warehouses, and other materials handling centersoften receive inbound shipments from vendors or other suppliers.Inventory defects can occur that are caused by vendors or othersuppliers violating shipping guidelines, shipping damaged or defectiveitems, and the like. Materials handling facility personnel can alsocause inventory defects when sorting and/or stocking inventory receivedin an inbound shipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a drawing of a networked environment including a catalogingsystem and an andon system within a materials handling facility with anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an alternative depiction of the materials handling facility ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is a drawing of a networked environment including a plurality ofmaterials handling facilities in communication with an andon system inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3B is an alternative depiction of the networked environment of FIG.3A.

FIG. 4 is a drawing of a process in accordance with an embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a drawing of an andon system in accordance with an embodimentof the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIG. 1, shown is a drawing that depicts one example ofa materials handling facility 100 that includes various systems that arein communication with an andon system 101 according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. A materials handling facility 100 may includeone or more of, but is not limited to, warehouses, distribution centers,cross-docking facilities, order fulfillment centers (also referred to asfulfillment facilities), packaging facilities, shipping facilities, orother facilities or combination of facilities for performing one or morefunctions of material (inventory) handling. Although the materialshandling facility 100 is described herein with specific reference to afulfillment center, it is understood that a materials handling facility100 provides one example of many other types of environments to whichthe principles described herein apply.

According to the illustration provided herein, the materials handlingfacility 100 may comprise, for example, a large warehouse or otherstructure that includes at least one receiving area 102 where inboundshipments 104 that contain inventory and/or products from vendors can bereceived. The materials handling facility can also include at least onesorting station 106 where inventory in an inbound shipment 104 can beexamined, sorted, counted, and routed to various inventory locations 103in the materials handling facility 100. Inventory locations 103 caninclude various bins, slots, shelves, containers, receptacles, crates,stalls, cribs, cordoned areas, or other locations, etc. where inventorycan be stored and/or stocked for later retrieval. An inventory of itemsreceived in the receiving area 102 is stored in the inventory locations103 after items are received in the receiving area 102 and sorted in asorting station 106.

In the materials handling facility 100, it should also be appreciatedthat shipment errors can be committed by vendors shipping inboundshipments 104 to the materials handling facility 100. Receiving errorsand/or sorting errors can also be committed by individuals or personnelreceiving and/or sorting items in the receiving area 102 and sortingstation 106. Such errors can be a cause of inefficiency and increase thecosts associated with inventory handling and/or management. These errorscan also be referred to as inventory defects. An inventory defectcommitted by a vendor can refer to a parcel defect or anomaly such as adamaged package or product, late arriving inventory, improperly loadedshipping container and/or pallet, defective tracking information such asinaccurate, inconsistent, missing, or illegible purchase order (PO),shipment identifier, vendor information, universal product code,stock-keeping unit, or other shipment errors. An inventory defect canalso refer to errors committed by stocking personnel or an individual inthe materials handling facility 100, such as an inaccurate countingand/or sorting of inventory received at the receiving area 102 in aninbound shipment, or inventory lost from an inbound shipment.

Accordingly, one embodiment of an andon system 101 according to thedisclosure can track and store such inventory defects over time anddetermine whether certain vendors and/or materials handling facility 100personnel are the cause of such defects to a degree that exceeds aspecified and configurable threshold. The andon system 101 can alsoimpose appropriate and stepwise escalating remedial measures on a vendorand/or personnel if a threshold is exceeded. Accordingly, the andonsystem 101 can calculate an inventory defect rate over a specified timeperiod to determine whether a vendor or materials handling facility 100personnel violate performance standards that can be expressed in termsof a number of allowable inventory defects over a period of time. In oneexemplary embodiment, the andon system 101 can be configured to allow acertain number of inventory defects committed by a vendor over aspecified time period. If the vendor exceeds a threshold number ofdefects over the specified time period, the andon system 101 can, as aremedial measure, cause the materials handling facility 100 to ceaseacceptance of further inbound shipments 104 from the vendor or takeother appropriate action.

In the case of an inventory defect committed by materials handlingfacility 100 personnel, the andon system 101 can impose remedialmeasures on an individual working in the materials handling facility100. Like the above example, the andon system 101 can track an inventorydefect rate over a specified time period that is associated with aparticular individual. If the individual exceeds an inventory defectrate threshold during a specified time period, the andon system 101 canimpose remedial measures. For example, the andon system 101 candetermine whether certain personnel are responsible for an unacceptablyhigh volume of miscounted and/or misplaced inventory and, as a remedialmeasure, instruct the individual to cease sorting and/or receivinginventory and seek assistance and/or further training or assistance frommanagement or other personnel in order to reduce the inventory defectrate associated with the individual. Additional examples of operation ofthe andon system 101 with respect to a vendor and materials handlingfacility 100 personnel are discussed in further detail hereinbelow.

Next is a discussion of the operation of the materials handling facility100 in conjunction with various systems that facilitate receiving ofinventory from inbound shipments 104. An inbound shipment 104 containinginventory can be received into a materials handling facility 100 in areceiving area 102. A shipping container, packaging, pallet or otherenclosure can be shipped from a vendor or other supplier supplyinginventory to the materials handling facility 100. The receiving area 102can facilitate receipt of the inbound shipment 104, where it can besubsequently sorted at one or more sorting stations 106 and stocked inthe materials handling facility 100 in inventory locations 103.

In addition, at least one input device 108, 109 can be employed in thereceiving area 102 and/or sorting station 106 to allow materialshandling facility 100 personnel to input shipment identifiers 110 and/orproduct identifiers 112 that can be transmitted to a cataloging system123 that can be employed to track inventory received by and stockedwithin the materials handling facility 100. The functionality of thecataloging system 123 is discussed in further detail below. Withreference again made to the depicted non-limiting exemplary receivingarea 102, an input device 108 can be implemented as a bar code scannerthat can scan a bar code configured as the shipment identifier 110,which can be associated with a purchase order, tracking data, or otherinformation about the inbound shipment 104 that can be transmitted tothe cataloging system 123. The input device 108 may comprise othercomponents, including, but not limited to, a scanner, camera, keyboard,microphone, pointing device, or any device coupled to a computingsystem. It should also be appreciated that other information about theshipment can be embedded in the bar code and can include, but is notlimited to, shipment contents, weight, volume, and other data thatshould be appreciated.

Accordingly, if there are inventory defects detected at the receivingarea 102, they can be noted by materials handling facility 100 personneland/or be automatically detected upon the entering of a shipmentidentifier 110 into the input device 108. As a non-limiting example, ifan inbound shipment 104 has a missing, illegible, or damaged shipmentidentifier 110 that cannot be detected by the input device 108, thenmaterials handling facility 100 personnel can note that an inventorydefect should be associated with a shipment from the vendor supplyingthe inbound shipment 104. As an alternative example, if an inboundshipment 104 is improperly packaged (e.g., unsafe loading of shippingcontainer, pallet, etc., damaged shipment, etc.), an inventory defectcan be generated and associated with the sending vendor. As yet anotheralternative example, if, upon entry of a shipment identifier 110 via theinput device 108, it is detected that the inbound shipment 104 has beenshipped to a wrong location, then an inventory defect can beautomatically generated and associated with the sending vendor. Such aninventory defect can also be considered a shipment level inventorydefect, as it is associated with an inbound shipment 104 and not merelywith inventory within the shipment.

A sorting input device 109 can also be used in conjunction with asorting station 106 to facilitate examination, sorting, and stocking ofinventory items from an inbound shipment 104. In one embodiment, thesorting input device 109 can be a bar code scanner configured to scan aproduct identifier 112 and input the product identifier 112 into thecataloging system 123. The product identifier 112 may comprise, forexample, a Universal Product Code (UPC), Global Trade Item Numbers(GTIN), European Article Number (EAN), International Standard SerialNumber (ISSN), International Standard Book Number (ISBN), or other typeof identifier. The sorting input device 109 may comprise, for example, ascanner, camera, keyboard, microphone, pointing device, or any inputdevice coupled to a computing system.

An inventory defect can be detected by materials handling facility 100personnel or automatically detected upon inputting of the productidentifier 112. In one embodiment, materials handling facility 100personnel can detect that an item from an inbound shipment 104 has amissing, damaged, and/or illegible product identifier label affixed onthe product. Similarly, if materials handling facility 100 personneldetect that a scanned product identifier 112 does not match a product towhich it is affixed or a purchase order to which it is associated, aninventory defect can be detected by the personnel. As an additionalnon-limiting example, if an invalid product identifier is detected whena product identifier 112 is scanned by the input device, an inventorydefect can be automatically detected by the input device 109 andassociated with the sending vendor.

The materials handling facility 100 can be integrated with orcommunicate with one or more systems to facilitate receiving, stockingand cataloging of inbound shipments 104. The cataloging system 123 canfacilitate receipt and tracking of inventory received from inboundshipments 104. In one non-limiting example, the cataloging system 123can include a data store 129 in which data regarding inventory andinbound shipments 104 received by the materials handling facility 100can be stored. Product records containing information about inventorycan be stored in an inventory table 131 that can also include purchaseorder data 135, date received data 137, and other item data 139 such aswhether the received item is damaged, etc., and other data that shouldbe appreciated. It should also be appreciated that the above structureof the data store 129 is but one example and that various alternativestructures or hierarchies can be used to store and manipulate the sameor similar information pertaining to products, inventory, purchaseorders and other data that should be appreciated to facilitate thefunctions of the cataloging system 123. Further, it should also beappreciated that additional or alternative information may be storedwithin the data store 129 in accordance with various embodiments of thedisclosure.

As noted above, inbound shipments 104 can be received at the receivingarea 102 and a shipment identifier 110 or other identifying feature canbe scanned with an input device 108. A shipment identifier 110 can beassociated with a purchase order, shipment tracking data or otherinformation that can be communicated to the cataloging system 123. Theinput device 108 can transmit a shipment identifier 110 to thecataloging system 123, which can store information regarding the inboundshipment 104 in the data store 129 and log the inbound shipment 104 asreceived. In addition, the cataloging system 123 can be configured withinformation regarding inbound shipments 104 that are expected to arrivefrom various vendors. Accordingly, the cataloging system 123 canautomatically detect an inventory defect if shipment identifiers 110associated with information about an inbound shipment 104 that aretransmitted to the cataloging system 123 by the input device 108 areinconsistent with information accessible to the cataloging system 123regarding expected inbound shipments 104 from vendors.

When inventory in an inbound shipment 104 is sorted at a sorting station106, a product identifier 112 can be scanned by the input device 109. Aproduct identifier 112 can be transmitted to cataloging system 123,which can store information regarding the product associated with theproduct identifier 112 in the data store 129 and log the item asreceived. In addition, because the cataloging system 123 has access toinformation regarding a purchase order and/or shipment identifier 110associated with a received item, as an inbound shipment 104 is sorted,the cataloging system 123 can determine whether there are any underagesand/or overages. If there are underages and/or overages, the catalogingsystem 123 can detect an inventory defect and associate the defect witha vendor associated with the inbound shipment 104. Alternatively, thecataloging system 123 can provide information regarding inventory andinbound shipments 104 to other systems so that inventory defects can bedetected.

In this way, the cataloging system 123 can store data regarding theinventory stored in inventory locations 103 of the materials handlingfacility 100 as well as track data regarding inbound shipments 104containing inventory to be stocked in the materials handling facility100.

Accordingly, the andon system 101 can work in conjunction with thematerials handling facility 100, personnel within the materials handlingfacility 100, and the cataloging system 123 in order to track inventorydefects as well as impose remedial measures in order to reduce inventorydefects occurring within the materials handling facility 100 and byvendors sending inbound shipments 104 to the facility. Defect data 152containing information about the inventory defect can be transmittedfrom the materials handling facility 100 and/or the cataloging system123 to the andon system 101 for storage and/or processing. The defectaggregator 153 can receive and cause the defect data 152 to be storedwithin a defect history 155 data store. The defect history 155 can alsoinclude various tables for storing defect data 152 associated with aninventory defect. The defect history 155, in one embodiment, can includea vendor table 157 and an individual table 159. The vendor table 157 canstore inventory defects associated with vendors sending inboundshipments 104 to the materials handling facility 100. The individualtable 159 can store inventory defects associated with materials handlingfacility 100 personnel.

Following is a discussion of how the andon system 101 can, in oneembodiment, aggregate and address such inventory defects. For example,certain guidelines and/or rules can be imposed on vendors supplyinginventory via inbound shipments 104 in order to increase efficiency ofthe materials handling facility 100 as well as to reduce the cost ofoperating the same. As a non-limiting example, guidelines can be imposedon a vendor supplying inventory regarding the type, size, weight,volume, packaging density and other characteristics of shippingcontainer, pallet or other enclosure that may be included in an inboundshipment 104.

In one example, a guideline can be imposed that requires a vendor tosupply inbound shipments 104 sent on shipping pallets loaded at amaximum height to provide for safe and efficient unloading at thematerials handling facility 100. As another example, a maximum weightper shipment guideline can be imposed on a vendor supplying inventory tothe materials handling facility 100. Other such guidelines and/or rulesthat can be imposed on vendors supplying inventory should beappreciated. Therefore, in the above non-limiting example, if an inboundshipment 104 from a vendor violates shipment guidelines and/or policies,a shipment level inventory defect can be generated by personnel withinthe receiving area 102 of the materials handling facility 100. Theinventory defect can be generated by receiving area 102 personnel andcan be facilitated by input device 108 or other computing system incommunication with the cataloging system 123 and/or andon system 101.

An inventory defect can also be automatically detected by the defectaggregator 153 and/or provided by the cataloging system 123.Accordingly, the defect aggregator 153 can extract defect data 152 fromthe cataloging system 123 based on various factors. In one example, theandon system 101, based on the shipping identifier 110, purchase orderidentifier, or other data associated with an inbound shipment 104received at the receiving area 102, can detect whether a shipment levelinventory defect has occurred based upon the data stored within thecataloging system 123. The defect aggregator 153 can then generate aninventory defect and store defect data 152 in the defect history 155.For example, the defect aggregator 153 can detect a shipment levelinventory defect if a purchase order identifier is wrong or otheridentifying information is inconsistent with expected shipments from avendor by retrieving such information from the cataloging system 123.

The defect data 152 either generated by or transmitted to the andonsystem 101 can include information about the inventory defect, which caninclude, but is not limited to: inventory defect date, associatedvendor, purchase order, shipping identifier 110, associated materialshandling facility 100 personnel, product identifier 112 and otherinformation as can be appreciated to be associated with such aninventory defect.

After an inbound shipment 104 is received in the receiving area 102,inventory in the inbound shipment 104 can be sorted in the sortingstation 106 and stored in inventory locations 103. As noted above,inventory defects may occur in the sorting station 106 that are causedby materials handling facility 100 personnel. Alternatively, inventorydefects can be caused by a vendor sending an inbound shipment 104 anddetected in the sorting station 106. An individual in the materialshandling facility 100 can detect an item level inventory defect in thesorting station 106 and cause defect data 152 to be transmitted to theandon system 101. The input device 109 or other computing system canfacilitate transmission of the defect data 152 to the andon system 101.

As a non-limiting example, if sorting station 106 personnel noticedamaged inventory when sorting and stocking an inbound shipment 104, theindividual can generate an inventory defect associated with the vendorand cause defect data 152 containing information about the defect to betransmitted to the andon system 101, where the defect aggregator 153 cancause the defect data 152 to be stored in the defect history 155. As anadditional example, inventory in an inbound shipment 104 may lack aproduct identifier 112 affixed thereon. Accordingly, sorting station 106personnel can generate a corresponding item level inventory defectassociated with the vendor and cause defect data 152 to be transmittedto the defect aggregator 153 of the andon system 101.

As noted above in reference to a shipment level inventory defect, anitem level defect can also be automatically detected by the catalogingsystem 123 or by the andon system 101 using information stored in thedata store 129 of the cataloging system 123. As a non-limiting example,if inventory received in an inbound shipment 104 is not associated witha purchase order identifier and/or shipment identifier 110 associatedwith the inbound shipment 104, then the cataloging system 123 and/or theandon system 101 can generate an inventory defect and cause the defectaggregator 153 to store the defect data 152 associated with theinventory defect in the defect history 155. Other inventory defects thatcan be generated by materials handling facility 100 personnel as well asautomatically detected should be appreciated.

Therefore, the andon system 101 can track inventory defects associatedwith a vendor shipping inbound shipments 104 and/or personnel in thematerials handling facility 100 in the defect history 155. An inventorydefect rate can be calculated over a specified period of time that isassociated with a vendor and/or personnel. Accordingly, an inventorydefect rate threshold can be established for the specified time periodthat defines a maximum defect rate for a vendor and/or personnel. If thecalculated inventory defect rate exceeds a specified and configurablethreshold, then remedial measures can be imposed by the remedy generator161 of the andon system 101.

The remedy generator 161 is configured to generate a remedy and/orcorrective action in response to an inventory defect as well as imposeremedial measures in response to a single inventory defect and/or aninventory defect rate exceeding specified threshold for a specified timeperiod. Certain inventory defects can be remedied and/or resolvedwithout human intervention. Accordingly, the remedy generator 161 canfacilitate correction of an inventory defect by the cataloging system123 and/or materials handling facility 100 by automatically generatingcorrective action. As a non-limiting example, if an item received in thematerials handling facility 100 lacks a product identifier 112containing a universal product code, the remedy generator 161 canfacilitate printing of a new product identifier 112 that can be placedon the inventory being sorted at the sorting station 106.

In addition, the remedy generator 161 can be configured to imposeremedial measures on a vendor and/or individual associated with aninventory defect rate exceeding a specified threshold over a specifiedtime period. In the case of a vendor that ships inbound shipments 104 tothe materials handling facility 100, the andon system 101 can trackinventory defects associated with the vendor and cease acceptance ofshipments or restrict the quantity of products ordered from the vendorif the inventory defect rate exceeds a specified threshold.Alternatively, if a vendor and/or individual has exceeded a gross numberof inventory defects over a specified time period, remedial measures canlikewise be imposed by the remedy generator 161.

As another example, the andon system 101 can issue a warning message tothe vendor, materials handling facility 100 personnel, management,and/or other entities via the notification system 163 that an inventorydefect rate threshold has been exceeded. As yet another example, theremedy generator 161 can cause the andon system 101 to more closelytrack a vendor and/or individual exceeding an inventory defect rate overa specified time period relative to other vendors and/or individuals.For example, a vendor exceeding an inventory defect rate threshold canbe tracked according to a lower inventory defect rate threshold relativeto other vendors, or at more frequent intervals relative to othervendors. In a non-limiting example of an individual in a materialshandling facility 100, if an individual in the facility exceeds athreshold inventory defect rate over a specified time period, then theremedy generator 161 can be configured to notify the individual via thenotification system 163 that he/she should cease activities in thefacility and seek assistance from other personnel and/or management.

In addition, the remedy generator 161 can impose increasingly harsherremedial measures on a vendor and/or individual that has previouslyexceeded an inventory defect rate for a previous time period. As anon-limiting example, if a vendor has exceeded an inventory defect ratethreshold, the remedy generator 161 can interface with a procurementsystem or other system facilitating the ordering of products to causethe procurement system to cease the ordering of products from the vendoror restrict the quantity of products ordered from the vendor.

Because certain types of inventory defects may have differingremediation costs or another measure of importance associated therewith,the andon system 101 can also assign a weighting factor to certaininventory defects stored in the defect history 155. As a non-limitingexample, if the remediation cost to cure a particular inventory defectis higher relative to other inventory defects, then such a defect can beassigned a higher weighting factor than other inventory defects in thedefect history 155, thereby giving the defect higher weight whencalculating an inventory defect rate over a specified time period.

The notification system 163 can work in conjunction with the remedygenerator 161 to notify vendors and materials handling facility 100personnel of remedial measures the remedy generator 161 has imposed. Inaddition, the notification system 163 can generate informationalnotifications regarding an inventory defect or inventory defect rateassociated with a vendor and/or personnel. The notification system 163can also generate internal notifications, which can be sent tosupervisory, management or other personnel regarding the status ofinventory defects, inventory defect rates, or other information aboutthe materials handling facility 100, inbound shipments 104, remedialmeasures imposed on a vendor and/or inventory, and other information ascan be appreciated.

With reference to FIG. 2, shown is a drawing that depicts one example ofa materials handling facility 100 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 2 depicts the materials handling facility 100,and a receiving area 102 and at least one sorting station 106 therein.The inventory locations 103 (FIG. 1) are not shown. Also shown is thecataloging system 123 in communication with the materials handlingfacility 100. The andon system 101 is depicted in communication with thecataloging system 123 and the materials handling facility 100. FIG. 2depicts one example of the andon system 101 handling at least oneinventory defect and/or inventory defect rate in which corrective action203 can be generated by the andon system 101.

In the depicted example, the receiving area 102 receives an inboundshipment 104 (FIG. 1) for which there is a user generated shipment levelinventory defect. Accordingly, defect data 152 a can be transmitted tothe andon system 101 from the user generated inventory defect. It shouldbe noted that in the depicted example, defect data 152 a regarding theuser generated inventory defect is not transmitted to the catalogingsystem 123. However, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments,such defect data 152 a can be transmitted to, extracted from, and storedwithin the cataloging system 123.

In the depicted example, the sorting station 106 receives inventory froman inbound shipment 104 for which an item level inventory defect isgenerated by a user. Accordingly, corresponding defect data 152 b isgenerated by materials handling facility 100 personnel, and istransmitted to the andon system 101. As noted above, it should again bementioned that in the depicted example, defect data 152 regarding theuser generated inventory defect is not transmitted to the catalogingsystem 123. However, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments,such defect data 152 b can be transmitted to, extracted from and storedwithin the cataloging system 123.

FIG. 2 further depicts the cataloging system 123 receiving data from thesorting station 106. As noted above, the cataloging system 123 canreceive data from the materials handling facility 100 regarding inboundshipments 104 and inventory to be sorted and stocked therein. Thecataloging system 123 can receive data from input devices and/or othersystems present in the materials handling facility 100 configured totransmit inventory and/or shipment data. In addition, in the depictedexample, because the andon system 101 is in communication with thecataloging system 123, the andon system 101 can extract inventory defect152 c from the cataloging system 123.

FIG. 2 depicts the andon system 101 generating and transmittingcorrective action 203 to the materials handling facility 100 in responseto receiving the above noted exemplary defect data 152 a, 152 b, 152 ccorresponding to inventory defects. The corrective action 203 caninclude information regarding how to address one or more inventorydefects occurring within the materials handling facility 100. Thecorrective action 203 can be automatically generated or generated inresponse to human intervention. As noted above, certain inventorydefects can be remediated by the andon system 101 without humanintervention, however, the inventory defect can be generated and storedwithin the defect history 155 (FIG. 1) for calculating an inventorydefect rate associated with a vendor and/or materials handling facility100 personnel.

In addition, the andon system 101 is configurable such that remedialmeasures 204 are generated by the andon system 101 and transmitted tothe materials handling facility 100 in response to inventory defects. Asnoted above, remedial measures 204 can include measures taken inresponse to an inventory defect and/or an inventory defect rateexceeding a specified threshold in a specified time period.

The andon system 101 further generates the depicted internalnotification 205 in response to defect data 152 a, 152 b, 152 cassociated with inventory defects. The internal notification 205 caninclude information regarding the inventory defects and can betransmitted to management, supervisory, or other personnel for furtherhandling. The external notification 207 can be transmitted to a vendorand/or materials handling facility 100 personnel to notify the same ofexceeding an inventory defect rate threshold and/or regarding specificinventory defects.

With reference to FIG. 3A, shown is one example of an andon system 101in communication with a plurality of materials handling facilities 100.The andon system 101 can manage and/or address inventory defectsoccurring in multiple materials handling facilities 100 so thatefficiency of receipt of inbound shipments 104 is maximized. In thedepicted example, materials handling facility 100 b generates aninventory defect, and corresponding defect data 152 is transmitted tothe andon system 101. If the andon system 101 determines that the defectrepresented by the defect data 152 has a great enough severity, or thatthe inventory defect rate associated with the materials handlingfacility 100 b has exceeded a specified threshold, the andon system 101can reroute inbound shipments 104 b intended for the materials handlingfacility 100 b.

Accordingly, reference is now made to FIG. 3B that depicts the andonsystem 101 generating corrective action 203 to the materials handlingfacilities 100 a, 100 b, instructing the materials handling facility 100b to cease acceptance of inbound shipments 104 b, and causing inboundshipments 104 b to be rerouted to the materials handling facility 100 a.As another non-limiting example, the andon system 101 can reroute asubset of inbound shipments 104 b, or take other corrective action 203and/or remedial measures 204 as can be appreciated. In this way, theandon system 101 can manage a plurality of materials handling facilities100 and inventory defects generated therein.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4, which depicts one example of theexecution of the andon system 101. The flowchart may also be viewed asdepicting steps of a method implemented in accordance with variousembodiments of the disclosure. It is understood that the flowchart ofFIG. 4 is merely an example of functionality in the andon system 101,and that other functions may be implemented in the andon system 101 asdescribed herein.

In this respect, in box 402, a defect history 155 (FIG. 1) is retrievedfrom the andon system 101 (FIG. 1). In one embodiment, the defecthistory 155 can be stored in a data store and the defects stored thereincan be associated with a vendor, shipping identifier, productidentifier, and/or materials handling facility 100 (FIG. 1) personnel.In box 404, inventory defects can be extracted from the retrieved defecthistory 155. As noted above, inventory defects can be associated with avendor and/or materials handling facility 100 personnel.

In box 406, an inventory defect rate is calculated. The inventory defectrate can be calculated with respect to a vendor and/or individual in thematerials handling facility 100 over a specified time period. In box408, it is determined whether the calculated inventory defect rateexceeds a specified threshold associated with the vendor and/orindividual. In box 410, if the calculated inventory defect rate exceedsthe threshold, a notification is generated and transmitted or encodedfor display to a vendor, individual, and/or other entity personnel. Asnoted above, a notification can be an internal notification 205 (FIG. 2)or an external notification 207 (FIG. 2). In box 412, remedial measures204 (FIG. 2) can be imposed as described above.

With reference to FIG. 5, shown is one example of an andon system 101that comprises a computer server or equivalent device according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The andon system 101 can beimplemented on a server or other computing system and may include one ormore processor circuits having a processor 503 and a memory 506, both ofwhich are coupled to a local interface 509. In this respect, the localinterface 509 may comprise, for example, a data bus with an accompanyingcontrol/address bus as can be appreciated.

Stored on the memory 506 and executable by the processor 503 are variouscomponents such as a server operating system 513, defect aggregator 153,remedy generator 161, notification system 163, and/or others systems. Inaddition, it is understood that many other components may be stored inthe memory 506 and executable by the processor(s) 503. Also, suchcomponents may reside in a memory that is external from the andon system101 as can be appreciated.

As set forth above, a number of components are stored in the memory 506and are executable by the processor 503. In this respect, the term“executable” refers to a program file that is in a form that canultimately be run by the processor 503. Examples of executable programsmay be, for example, a compiled program that can be translated intomachine code in a format that can be loaded into a random access portionof the memory 506 and run by the processor 503, or source code that maybe expressed in proper format such as object code that is capable ofbeing loaded into a random access portion of the memory 506 and executedby the processor 503. An executable program may be stored in any portionor component of the memory 506 including, for example, random accessmemory, read-only memory, a hard drive, compact disk (CD), floppy disk,or other memory components.

The memory 506 is defined herein as both volatile and nonvolatile memoryand data storage components. Volatile components are those that do notretain data values upon loss of power. Nonvolatile components are thosethat retain data upon a loss of power. Thus, the memory 506 maycomprise, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory(ROM), hard disk drives, floppy disks accessed via an associated floppydisk drive, compact discs accessed via a compact disc drive, magnetictapes accessed via an appropriate tape drive, and/or other memorycomponents, or a combination of any two or more of these memorycomponents. In addition, the RAM may comprise, for example, staticrandom access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), ormagnetic random access memory (MRAM) and other such devices. The ROM maycomprise, for example, a programmable read-only memory (PROM), anerasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other like memory device.

In addition, the processor 503 may represent multiple processors and thememory 506 may represent multiple memories that operate in parallel. Insuch a case, the local interface 509 may be an appropriate network thatfacilitates communication between any two of the multiple processors503, between any processor 503 and any one of the memories 506, orbetween any two of the memories 506, etc. The processor 503 may be ofelectrical, optical, or of some other construction as can be appreciatedby those with ordinary skill in the art.

The server operating system 513 is executed to control the allocationand usage of hardware resources such as the memory 506 and processingtime in the andon system 101. In this manner, the server operatingsystem 513 serves as the foundation on which applications depend as isgenerally known by those with ordinary skill in the art. In addition,any of the depicted components of FIGS. 1-3 may be implemented in morethan one computing system, server, or other device. For example, whiledata stores may be shown within a corresponding system, it should beappreciated that such a data store may be implemented in a relationaldatabase or other type of database on a separate and/or dedicatedserver.

Although the functionality of various components is described above withrespect to FIGS. 1-3 as being embodied in software or code executed bygeneral purpose hardware as discussed above, as an alternative the samemay also be embodied in dedicated hardware or a combination ofsoftware/general purpose hardware and dedicated hardware. If embodied indedicated hardware, the functionality of these components can beimplemented as a circuit or state machine that employs any one of or acombination of a number of technologies. These technologies may include,but are not limited to, discrete logic circuits having logic gates forimplementing various logic functions upon an application of one or moredata signals, application specific integrated circuits havingappropriate logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGA), fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGA), or other components, etc. Suchtechnologies are generally well known by those skilled in the art and,consequently, are not described in detail herein.

The flowchart of FIG. 4 shows the functionality and operation offunctionality implemented on the andon system 101. If embodied insoftware, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of codethat comprises program instructions to implement the specified logicalfunction(s). The program instructions may be embodied in the form ofsource code that comprises human-readable statements written in aprogramming language or machine code that comprises numericalinstructions recognizable by a suitable execution system such as aprocessor in a computer system or other system. The machine code may beconverted from the source code, etc. If embodied in hardware, each blockmay represent a circuit or a number of interconnected circuits toimplement the specified logical function(s).

Although the flowchart of FIG. 4 shows a specific order of execution, itis understood that the order of execution may differ from that which isdepicted. For example, the order of execution of two or more blocks maybe scrambled relative to the order shown. Also, two or more blocks shownin succession in FIG. 4 may be executed concurrently or with partialconcurrence. In addition, any number of counters, state variables,warning semaphores, or messages might be added to the logical flowdescribed herein, for purposes of enhanced utility, accounting,performance measurement, or providing troubleshooting aids, etc. It isunderstood that all such variations are within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Also, where the functionality of the disclosed systems is expressed inthe form of software or code, it can be embodied in anycomputer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system such as, for example, a processor in a computer systemor other system. In this sense, the functionality may comprise, forexample, statements including instructions and declarations that can befetched from the computer-readable medium and executed by theinstruction execution system. In the context of the present disclosure,a “computer-readable medium” can be any medium that can contain, store,or maintain the network page for use by or in connection with theinstruction execution system.

The computer readable medium can comprise any one of many physical mediasuch as, for example, electronic, magnetic, optical, or semiconductormedia. More specific examples of a suitable computer-readable mediumwould include, but are not limited to, magnetic tapes, magnetic floppydiskettes, magnetic hard drives, or compact discs. Also, thecomputer-readable medium may be a random access memory (RAM) including,for example, static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic randomaccess memory (DRAM), or magnetic random access memory (MRAM). Inaddition, the computer-readable medium may be a read-only memory (ROM),a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmableread-only memory (EEPROM), or other type of memory device.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of thepresent disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations setforth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure.Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-describedembodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit andprinciples of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations areintended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure andprotected by the following claims.

1. A method, comprising the steps of: retrieving a defect historyassociated with a vendor and at least one product from an inboundshipment from a memory, the at least one product to be stocked in amaterials handling facility, the defect history being associated with aspecified time period; extracting at least one inventory defect from thedefect history in a computer system; calculating an inventory defectrate in the computer system for the specified time period, wherein theinventory defect rate is associated with the vendor and the remedialmeasures are imposed on the vendor; imposing at least one remedialmeasure on the vendor if the inventory defect rate exceeds a specifiedthreshold of the inventory defect rate, wherein the at least oneremedial measure includes reducing a size of a subsequent specified timeperiod associated with the vendor and generating a warning messageincluding information describing the at least one inventory defect, theinformation including an inventory defect type, a date, and a vendoridentifier associated with the vendor; and imposing additional remedialmeasures on a vendor if the vendor does not correct the at least oneinventory defect, the additional remedial measures comprising at leastone of: ceasing acceptance at the materials handling facility of inboundshipments from the vendor, restricting quantity of products ordered fromthe vendor, and restricting inbound shipments from the vendor to aparticular materials handling facility.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the inventory defect rate is associated with an individual inthe materials handling facility and the remedial measures are imposed onthe individual.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of imposingat least one remedial measure further comprises: generating a message inthe computer system instructing the individual to seek assistance tocorrect the at least one inventory defect; and encoding the message fordisplay.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one inventorydefect comprises at least one of: an inaccurate count of inventory inthe inbound shipment and lost inventory from the inbound shipment. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein the step of imposing at least oneremedial measure further comprises lowering the specified threshold fora subsequent time period.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprisingthe steps of: weighing the at least one inventory defect based on aweighting factor; assigning at least one weighted value to the weightedat least one inventory defect; and wherein the step of calculating theinventory defect rate further comprises calculating a weighted rate fromthe at least one weighted value assigned to the at least one inventorydefect.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the weighting factor is basedon at least one of: a remediation cost associated with a type of the atleast one inventory defect, a scarcity of the product associated withthe at least one inventory defect, duration of business relationshipwith the vendor, whether the vendor has promised to correct the at leastone inventory defect, and whether a first inventory defect rateassociated with the vendor and a previous specified time period exceedsthe specified threshold.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprisingthe step of transmitting the warning message to the vendor.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the step of imposing at least one remedialmeasure further comprises generating a message in the computer systeminstructing at least one of: the materials handling facility to ceaseacceptance of future inbound shipments from the vendor, a procurementsystem to cease ordering of products from the vendor, and theprocurement system to restrict quantity of products ordered from thevendor.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step ofinterfacing with the procurement system to cause the procurement systemto cease ordering of products from the vendor.
 11. The method of claim1, further comprising the step of generating a corrective action, thecorrective action instructing how the inventory defect can be corrected.12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of transmittingthe corrective message to personnel in the materials handling facility.13. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventory defect is at least oneof: a missing barcode, a missing purchase order identifier associatedwith the inbound shipment, late arriving inventory, a quantitydiscrepancy between a first quantity of items in the inbound shipmentand a second quantity expected to be present in the inbound shipment, atleast one damaged product in the inbound shipment, and a user generatedinventory defect data.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventorydefect is a missing universal product code label for the at least oneproduct and the step of imposing at least one remedial measure furthercomprises causing a replacement universal product code label to begenerated.
 15. A system, comprising: at least one server; logic executedon the at least one server that retrieves a defect history associatedwith a vendor and at least one product from an inbound shipment from amemory, the at least one product to be stocked in a materials handlingfacility, the defect history being associated with a specified timeperiod; logic executed on the at least one server that extracts at leastone inventory defect from the defect history in a computer system andcalculates an inventory defect rate in the computer system for thespecified time period, wherein the inventory defect rate is associatedwith the vendor and the remedial measures are imposed on the vendor;logic executed on the at least one server that imposes remedial measureson the vendor if the inventory defect rate exceeds a specified thresholdof the inventory defect rate, wherein the remedial measures includereducing a size of a subsequent specified time period associated withthe vendor and generating a warning message including informationdescribing the at least one inventory defect, the information includingan inventory defect type, a date, and a vendor identifier associatedwith the vendor; and logic that imposes additional remedial measures ona vendor when the vendor does not correct the at least one inventorydefect, the additional remedial measures comprising at least one of:ceasing acceptance at the materials handling facility of inboundshipments from the vendor, restricting quantity of products ordered fromthe vendor, and restricting inbound shipments from the vendor to aparticular materials handling facility.
 16. The system of claim 15,wherein the inventory defect rate is associated with an individual inthe materials handling facility and the remedial measures are imposed onthe individual.
 17. The system of claim 16, further comprising: logicexecuted on the at least one server that generates a message in thecomputer system instructing the individual to seek assistance to correctthe at least one inventory defect; and logic executed on the at leastone server that encodes the message for display.
 18. The system of claim16, wherein the at least one inventory defect comprises at least one of:an inaccurate count of inventory in the inbound shipment and lostinventory from the inbound shipment.
 19. The system of claim 15, furthercomprising logic executed on the at least one server that generates awarning message including information describing the at least oneinventory defect, the information including an inventory defect type, adate, and a vendor identifier associated with the vendor.
 20. The systemof claim 15, further comprising logic executed on the at least oneserver that lowers the specified threshold for a subsequent time period.21. The system of claim 15, further comprising: logic executed on the atleast one server that weighs the at least one inventory defect based ona weighting factor; logic executed on the at least one server thatassigns at least one weighted value to the weighted at least oneinventory defect; and logic executed on the at least one server thatcalculates a weighted rate from the at least one weighted value assignedto the at least one inventory defect.
 22. The system of claim 21,wherein the weighting factor is based on at least one of: a remediationcost associated with a type of the at least one inventory defect, ascarcity of the product associated with the at least one inventorydefect, duration of business relationship with the vendor, whether thevendor has promised to correct the at least one inventory defect, andwhether a first inventory defect rate associated with the vendor and aprevious specified time period exceeds the specified threshold.
 23. Thesystem of claim 19, further comprising logic executed on the at leastone server that transmits the warning message to the vendor.
 24. Thesystem of claim 15, further comprising logic executed on the at leastone server that generates a message in the computer system instructingat least one of: the materials handling facility to cease acceptance offuture inbound shipments from the vendor, a procurement system to ceaseordering of products from the vendor, and the procurement system torestrict quantity of products ordered from the vendor.
 25. The system ofclaim 24, further comprising logic executed on the at least one serverthat interfaces with the procurement system to cause the procurementsystem to cease ordering of products from the vendor.
 26. The system ofclaim 15, further comprising logic executed on the at least one serverthat generates a corrective action, the corrective action instructinghow the inventory defect can be corrected.
 27. The system of claim 26,further comprising logic executed on the at least one server thattransmits the corrective message to personnel in the materials handlingfacility.
 28. The system of claim 15, wherein the inventory defect is atleast one of: a missing barcode, late arriving inventory, a missingpurchase order identifier associated with the inbound shipment, aquantity discrepancy between a first quantity of items in the inboundshipment and a second quantity expected to be present in the inboundshipment, at least one damaged product in the inbound shipment, and auser generated inventory defect data.
 29. The system of claim 15,wherein the inventory defect is a missing universal product code labelfor the at least one product and the step of imposing at least oneremedial measure further comprises causing a replacement universalproduct code label to be generated.